Don't be a Pharisee

By Brother R. Michel Lankford
As It Is Written:
Matthew 23:1-12 ¹ Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, ² saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; ³ therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. ⁴ "They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. ⁵ "But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. ⁶ "They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, ⁷ and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. ⁸ "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ "Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. ¹¹ "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Matthew 23:1-12 (NASB)

****

When we think of Pharisees today, we tend to think of people that are extremely strict about observing the law of God given to Moses. They were always at odds with Messiah, an instrumental in the plot to kill Jesus. Today the term is synonymous with being legalistic or overly religious. In fact, it is one of the key excuses that most traditional Christians use to rebuff and reject Whole Testament theology, is that they don't want to be like the Pharisees. The problem is that in making such a comparison, "Christians" who are anti-Torah observant are making two critical mistakes. First, they are drawing their conclusions based on modern-day interpretations of what we traditionally believe the Pharisees were instead of looking at the problem from its true historical context. This leads to the second problem. When we look at who and what the Pharisees were, and what they did, modern and postmodern Christendom might well realize many are in danger of being a lot more like the Pharisees than they think they are.

 

 

A History Flyby

As we read our Bible, we might notice that very often Yeshua, the Messiah rebukes the Pharisees, but there is not much mention of his criticizing the sect of the Sadducees. So what made the difference? What made the Pharisees worthy of special attention in the eyes of Messiah?
The historical first century Jewish writer Flavius Josephus gives us a distinct clue of the reason.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/ant-13.htm
(Flavius Josephus - book 13. 10. 6.)
You See, the sect of the Pharisees often treated human tradition handed down from one generation to the next as though it were equal to and sometimes even greater than the written text of the Scriptures. In other words, the Pharisees believed and taught that in order to be faithful to God, one not only had to keep the Torah (The written laws of God), but also a great many oral traditions handed down from one generation to the next. The problem is that what the Pharisees believed and practiced was a direct violation of Deuteronomy 4:2.
Therefore the Sadducees soundly rejected the approach of the Pharisees, and the Sadducees held to the belief that one only needed to keep the written Law of God. Messiah clearly favored the position of the Sadducees, at least concerning their doctrine.
A reasonable modern-day comparison would be that this would be a kin to the differences between a staunch holder of Roman Catholic tradition, as compared to someone who fiercely believes in the written Scriptures alone to determine our conduct.

 

 

By Contrast: the Pharisees believed:

Rambam's introduction to the Mishnah
"If there are 1000 prophets, all of them of the stature of Elijah and Elisha giving a certain interpretation, and 1001 rabbis giving the opposite interpretation, you should incline to the majority, and the law is according to the 1001 rabbis, not according to the 1000 there will prophets, only from the rabbis who are men of logic and reason."
My son! Be careful concerning the rabbinical decrees even more than the Torah... the Torah contains prohibitions... but anyone who violates a rabbinical decree is worthy of death (from the Babylonian Talmud).
... And even on the view that presets cannot nullify each other that applies only to a biblical precept with a biblical precept or, with a rabbinical precept to other rabbinical precepts, but in the case of a conflict of contradiction between a scriptural and a rabbinical precept, the rabbinical precept shall nullify the scriptural one... (from the Talmud 115a)
When we understand these things, the words of Yeshua the Messiah make a whole lot more sense:
Matthew 5:17-20 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸ "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹ "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20 (NASB)

 

In the light of its proper historical context, let us now consider what Messiah Himself said about the Pharisees:
1. They abandoned or diminished the law of God in favor of their own traditions (Mark 7:8-13).
2. They taught keeping strict observance of the Law, while they themselves were breaking the law (Matthew 23:2-3). it was hypocrisy. Messiah said that unless our righteousness exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees, we would not enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:20). So unless they repent it, the Pharisees would not be entering into the Kingdom of God. Now that's serious.
3. They had God’s law. They understood the law, they spent their whole lives from childhood being trained in the Law of God given to Moses, but none of them kept it (John 7:19).
4. Consider: Who would be counted as Pharisees today? Could it be those who actively teach God's people to disobey his Law in favor of human tradition? It's something to ponder.
Conclusion: According to Messiah, the problem with the Pharisees was not that they were overly Torah observant. According to Yeshua, the problem was exactly the opposite. According to Messiah the problem with the Pharisees was that they WERE NOT being Torah observant, but they were merely pretending to be so. According to Messiah, the problem of the Pharisees was that they were pretending to be Torah observant, when they weren't. They used their positions and power over people's lives to add burdens and laws over them which God did not make. In doing such things, they in fact outright violated Torah (Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 12:32). So the problem with the Pharisees was not that they were overly Torah observant, but that they were not Torah observant enough. So I would have to agree, don't be a Pharisee:
Matthew 16:6 And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Matthew 16:6 (NASB)

Becoming Bereans

Most of us are familiar with the Bereans. The majority of Bible preaching churches encourage their members to be Bereans. Unfortunately, that encouragement to be like Bereans actually loses something in translation. Here's what I mean. We know that the Bereans were more fair-minded than the people of Thessalonica. We know that they initially received Paul's words with gladness, but nonetheless they diligently searched the Scriptures (which by the way was only the Old Testament because the New Testament had not yet been written), so they searched the Old Testament daily to see if they could confirm what Paul was teaching, and we know from Acts 17, that many of them were able to confirm that the message Paul preached was accurate according to the Scriptures and they came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We understand all these things from simply reading the plain text of Acts 17, but we are more than 2000 years and four languages removed (Hebrew, Aramaic Greek and Latin), and an entire culture removed from understanding just how impressive the Bereans truly were. I say that because that's how we got our English Bible. So, let us use modern-day parallels to give us insights so that we can understand these people better:
One of the things that I most enjoyed when I attended a traditional Christian church was the occasional baby dedication service. I mean, I am practically addicted to cute. My awnhhh...! meter goes off with every precious little baby I would see.
As I was meditating on God's precepts yesterday, a thought hit me. Let's say, that you walked into a church one Sunday morning and after a baby dedication service, you actually heard the pastor say that the babies that were just dedicated to the Lord are now saved. Let's say that the pastor declared that they were now born-again and they were guaranteed to go to heaven because their parents dedicated them to the LORD. For the record, let me be explicitly clear, I have not been in any church or congregation that ever taught such a thing, (except for the Roman Catholic/Lutheran church which teaches that infant baptism saves them), but if you heard this from a pastor of a supposedly Bible believing and Bible teaching church, would you think that he was preaching true doctrine or false doctrine? Of course, such a presentation would naturally be false doctrine. For we know that the baby dedication is a parent's commitment to raise the child in the love, admonitions and principles of Almighty God and Jesus Christ, and to train them up so that they can develop their own personal and saving relationship with Almighty God in Jesus Christ. We know from a biblical standpoint that if such a relationship between the child and the Lord does not eventually develop, then that person will be condemned, despite the fact that their parents sincerely dedicated Them to the LORD, is that not so?
In another example, we know that after a person comes to a saving knowledge of Almighty God and His Son Jesus Christ, Holy Scripture requires and commands that they be baptized by immersion as a public testimony that the new convert believes in, and joins himself with what Jesus Christ accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection. With rare exceptions, the majority of Bible believers completely understand that in and of itself, baptism by immersion in water does not actually cause or bring about a person's salvation. Water baptism is generally the first act of Christian discipleship and is intended as a public testimony that the new convert has come to saving faith in God and Jesus Christ and is making a commitment to live as a new creation in Christ Jesus. For the most part, the majority of believers understand that if a pastor actually taught that water baptism is what caused or brought about a person's salvation, then this too would be heresy and false teaching.
In another example of the same principle, we know that Scripture commands and exhorts us to gather together in fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 10:25). We know in principle that gathering together is important. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Scripture commands and exhorts us that we should each consider how we can spur and encourage one another on t greater faithfulness and good works in God in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:24). So, we know that regularly congregating with other believers and encouraging one another to Love, Believe, Obey, Honor Almighty God and His Son Jesus Christ, and to do good in Him is a biblical command. This is a good thing to do. It's very profitable. When it's done correctly, it's beneficial because of what other believers bring into your life, and what you bring to their lives. At the same time, will church attendance convert a person? Will church attendance guarantee to cause or bring about a person salvation? Of course not. For we know that if a person does not have a born-again experience, if the blessings of Ezekiel 36:25-27 do not actually occur within a person's being, if they do not come to believe and obey Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, then they are still lost and condemned even if they faithfully attended church out of habit throughout all of their lives. Is this not so?
And again in another example of the same principle, we know that reading and meditating on the Scriptures is commanded (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). We know that meditating on the Scriptures will bring about good success in our lives (Joshua 1:7-8; Psalm 1:1-6). Reading and meditating on God's Word regularly will protect us from self-deception or self-delusion (Psalm 119:105; Psalm 119:9; James 1:19-25). Reading meditating and practicing God's word on a regular basis can help us to persevere and overcome in various trials (Psalm 119:11; Matthew 7:24-25). At the same time,  is it our perfect regularity and obedience to the Word which causes or brings about our eternal salvation and righteousness before God? Of course not! Any preacher that would preach such a thing would naturally be guilty of false teaching and heresy. For, apart from a saving relationship with God and Jesus Christ, apart from believing and receiving what Jesus Christ accomplished through His life and death and resurrection, there is no good thing that a person can do to be saved and made righteous before the Perfect and Holy God of heaven.
So we know that baby dedications can be a good thing, but the baby must grow into their own personal faith and obedience to Christ Jesus for themselves. They must still have their own born-again experience in order to be saved. So baby dedication can be a good thing, but by itself it will not save you. Likewise, we know that baptism is good. It is commanded in the Scriptures to fulfill a specific purpose, but it too will not cause or bring about a person's salvation apart from a saving born-again experience in Jesus Christ. The same is true with church attendance, with Bible reading and with all other good things that are commanded and exhorted throughout what is commonly called the Old and New Testament, or more accurately The Whole Testament. Is this not so?
If you'll bear with me a moment, I would like to pose a few poignant questions for your consideration.
Since we know that by itself baby dedications will not save our children, then does this naturally mean that we should abolish all baby dedications from our churches? Since baby dedication day does not save our children, then does this mean that parents should never publicly commit themselves to raising their children in the love, admonitions and principles of Almighty God and Jesus Christ? Since baby dedication will not cause the baby's salvation, then does this naturally mean that parents should not publicly make such a commitment, and that they should not make a public request that the congregation assist them in this all-important endeavor? Since it does not directly cause the child's salvation, does this naturally mean that we should abolish it altogether and never practice it?
Since apart from a saving commitment to Jesus Christ, the act of baptism by immersion in water is not actually what brings about or causes a person to be saved, then does this naturally mean that we should abolish the practice of water baptism in our congregations?
Since apart from a saving born-again experience in Christ Jesus, regular church attendance is not what guarantees a person's salvation, then does this mean that every congregation, home fellowship, or church should naturally close its doors, and believers should stop congregating together, since congregating is not what saves you?
Since apart from a saving born-again experience in Christ Jesus, regular Bible reading and meditation on the Scriptures is not what guarantees a person's salvation, then does this naturally mean that churches and fellowships should now actively discourage Bible study and practice instead of promoting it?
Of course, no truly sane and healthy believer would think it wise to abolish or even discourage these good things simply because doing them in and of themselves is not what causes a person to be saved. Most healthy believers can rightly see the benefit of these things, and we understand that as long as we don't teach that these things can save a person apart from Jesus Christ, then each of these good things has its proper place and function in the life of believers. These good things would only become bad if we allow them to develop into a false doctrine that doing these good things is what caused, brought about or insured a person's salvation. Then what was good, would become bad or false teaching.
What amazes me though is that the same wise Christians who would not think of abolishing baby dedications, baptisms, church attendance, or Bible readings from their faith and practice, but instead they know how to keep these things in the right perspective, the same wise Christians think it perfectly acceptable to abolish Old Testament teaching and principles, instead of wisely applying the exact same method across the Whole Testament of Scripture. The same wise Christians who would not think of abolishing Bible meditation think nothing of abolishing the annual Passover and the feasts of the LORD (Leviticus 23), instead of applying the same wise principle to those things that they do to New Testament standards. That blows my mind.
***

Understanding the Apostolic Perspective

In the time of the apostles in the first century, traditional rabbinical Judaism actually taught the false teaching that keeping the Law of God given to Moses and keeping the Oral Law of the rabbinical traditions of the Elders is what caused or brought about a person's salvation. They did that in much the same way that the Catholic Church now teaches that keeping Roman Catholic tradition might make God like you better and give you a better chance to get into heaven. This too is false of course, but that's what the rabbis taught about keeping the oral rabbinical tradition.
It's absolutely critical to understand that the popular rabbinical traditions of the first century Judaism were heretical. They were false teachings even by Old Testament standards.
It's crucial to realize that even in the Old Testament, righteousness before God was something that God gave you as a gift through faith (Genesis 15:6; Deuteronomy 30:6; Habakkuk 2:4; Ezekiel 36:25-27, just to name a few places). From the accurately Biblical Old Testament point of view, people only obeyed God and followed the Law after God transformed them from the inside, not before then. However, this was not what traditional Judaism taught in Christ's day, nor in the time of the apostles. What rabbinical traditional Judaism was teaching was in reality the exact opposite of what Scripture actually taught.
The Oral Torah, the Oral Law, or the Oral rabbinical tradition of the elders (all names synonymous for the exact same thing, actually taught things that were the exact opposite of what the written Scripture commanded. So when the rabbis taught that part of gaining salvation was to obey the Oral tradition, they were actually teaching people to disobey the written Scriptures. This was heresy and false doctrine.
For example, it’s part of the oral tradition of the elders that if a person disobeys their rabbi, they are deserving of death. In another portion of the Oral tradition, it says that if a person disobeys their rabbi, they will be boiled in excrement in hell. According to the rabbinic al oral teaching tradition of the elders, the oral teaching tradition of the rabbis in the elders was to be held in higher value than the written Scriptures. They even taught that if the written Law of God and the prophets taught a particular thing, but the rabbinical teaching tradition of the elders taught the exact opposite thing, one still had to obey the Oral rabbinical teachings of the elders, even if it meant disobeying the written Scriptures in the process[1]. Nowhere is this taught in Scripture of course. In fact, God's written Law explicitly forbids adding to or subtracting from what God has said. Therefore, the Oral rabbinical teaching tradition of the elders was in many places a direct violation of God's actual Law, because they changed, added or subtracted from what God said which is illegal (see Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 12:32). Nevertheless, that's what was being taught by religious tradition in first century Judaism. It is still often taught in traditional Judaism today.

To understand this problem using our own modern parallel as points of reference for clarity, it would be exactly as if a denomination of Christianity in our day actually taught that baby dedication, that baptism, church attendance, and Bible reading is what actually caused, brought about or insured a person's righteousness and eternal salvation. More than that, assume that a denomination also sprang up that said that not only did a person have to do those four things in order to cause or ensure their salvation, but they also could not be saved unless they joined a particular denomination, went to that particular church and fulfilled those four things in the precise ceremonial way that this denomination required. Now assume that this denomination became dominant over the centuries and that they began teaching at their own tradition was equal to or greater than the Scriptures, so that if there was a conflict between their teaching and what Scripture taught, you still had to obey them instead of obeying what Scripture teaches, and that if you disagree with or disobeyed the leaders of this dominant denomination, then you would go to hell. Now, if you understand these dynamics then you understand the problems of rabbinical Judaism (and also some of the problems of Roman Catholic tradition which essentially teaches the same thing), both of which are traditionally accepted, but it's completely false doctrine. When you understand the historical context, then Messiah's words make a lot more sense (Matthew 5:17-20; Matthew 23:24; Mark 7:6-9).
In effect, the Pharisees were teaching that in order to be saved, a person had to obey them, even if that required disobeying the written Scriptures to do it. It's crucial to understand that such a teaching tradition, although widely accepted at the time, is in direct violation of God's Law in the Scriptures, (Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 12:32). It's imperative to understand that this is the primary reason why Jesus, the apostles, and eventually Paul, did not get along with the Pharisees and other religious leaders in their day. Some of the laws of they were requiring people to obey were in reality the direct opposite of what God's written Word required, and that's why Jesus Christ and the other apostles opposed the religious tradition.
Can you see now why Scripture goes out of its way to praise the Bereans (Acts 17:11)? For the Bereans to have the courage to diligently check out what Rabbi Paul was teaching would have been completely the opposite of what they would have been taught to do by their religious tradition, but they loved and cared enough about the truth to check things out for themselves, and they were diligent about doing so, even though everything in their upbringing in the religious tradition taught in first century Judaism told them to accept the rabbis words automatically. The Bereans were doing the right and correct thing, in spite of the fact that they were brought up to think and do the wrong thing by tradition. That's why they were praised. Please don't forget this. Scripturally speaking, there is a pattern showing that God tends to take special notice of people who do the right and correct things, especially when they were brought up and taught to think and do the wrong things. That's what overcoming the world means.
What the apostles taught in the first century was that obeying God's Law and the customs which God gave to Moses was good. They would not have commanded against doing those things anymore then faithful teachers of God's word today command someone never to dedicate their children to the Lord, or never get baptized. The apostles never taught anyone to actively violate the Laws of God, any more Than faithful teachers today would dare to teach that Christians should altogether abandon church attendance or regular Bible study. No, the apostles taught that obeying the Laws of God was good, but they also taught rightfully that obeying the Laws of God apart from Christ is not what caused, what brought about, or insured, a person's salvation.
Conclusion: Sooner or later every growing and thriving Christian must confront some important questions. Why do we do what we do? Why do most of our churches teach only topically, and almost never, verse by verse, chapter by chapter and book by book from Genesis to Revelation? Why do we do what we do as a church on an annual basis? Why do we not treat all of Scripture the same? It obviously is the same, since Jesus was with God when the Word was given, (John 1:1-12)? Can everything that I am taught to believe and do, in church truly be supported in the Scripture? If it can, what can I do to be even more perfect and what my church teaches? If what I am taught to do by tradition and by practice cannot be expressly defended in the Scriptures, then by what authority do we traditionally do what we are doing? Am I truly following God and His Word? Or, am I believing and following merely the tradition of men? At the end of the day would Almighty God recognize me as one who had the courage of the Bereans, in spite of what the religious tradition of men has taught me to do? Not going along with the crowd, and doing what God says is exactly what's required to be a believer that overcomes the world. Would you choose to be a Berean? Will you develop Berean courage?

Brother Michel Lankford

Is Obeying God's Law Really Too Difficult?

My brother Michel Lankford
July 20, 2011 (12:31 AM) 
One of the most common beliefs in modern-day Christendom is that God got rid of His Law through the death of His Son Jesus Christ, because we could not keep it. The belief is that obeying God's law is just too difficult, no one could really keep it, so Jesus then fulfilled it and got it Out of the way, so that we could be justified before God without us even having to concern ourselves with respecting God's Law at all. I tell you the truth, modern- and postmodern day Christianity; (which is largely based on a mixture of beliefs from Emperor Constantine, Babylonian theology and Roman Catholic theology with a sprinkling of twisted Scripture added for good measure), which the Protestant churches now carry forward by habit and tradition, absolutely depends on that belief system being true in order to justify what it believes, teaches, and habitually practices.
Please know that I understand and am fully aware that I am attacking a sacred idol here. I know that I'm challenging a belief system that people absolutely believe at their core to be true.
My question is no matter how near and dear to our hearts a widely held doctrine might be, is it true? Is it supported by the Whole Testament of Scripture? Is it confirmed when measured against the "Weight of Biblical Evidence Test" (which is one of the eight biblical tests that a thriving disciple must use to correctly interpret Scripture and judge truth)?
Remember, absolute truth cannot by definition contradict absolute truth. Since God's word is absolutely true, then if there appears to be a contradiction, the problem is with my understanding, and not with the Scriptures. If my conclusions contradict other rightly divided Scriptures, then my conclusions about the Scriptures must be in error, so if I love the truth, and my long-held beliefs contradict rightly divided Scripture, then I must re-examine what I believe and teach if I am to remain faithful and loyal to the truth. Whenever it is correctly read, rightly divided, faithfully interpreted and rightly applied, Scripture does not contradict itself.
If there appears to be a contradiction, then I must be reading, interpreting or applying Scripture incorrectly in some fashion. This axiom is absolutely imperative to proper Scripture interpretation. It is also the cornerstone of Whole Testament theology, which I now believe, and humbly attempt to impart to others, because I love the truth, even knowing full well that I constantly fall short of it, and that God's strength must constantly be made manifest and more evident in my weakness.
So, may Almighty God give us eyes that see, ears that will hear, hearts that will receive and believe, and wills that will obey and persevere in the truth, so that God will rejoice and delight over us as His children, and we can rightly be unashamed in the judgment that is sure to come. Amen.



Is it Scripture?
Before we begin exploring our question in earnest, we must establish some basic facts. Which books of Scripture were written first? Was it the books of Genesis to Malachi or the books of Matthew to Revelation? Of course, we know this to be true historically. The books of Genesis to Malachi were written long before the New Testament books of Matthew through Revelation. We know this to be true historically and factually. Therefore, the New Testament must be read through the filter of the Old Testament, not the other way around, because the so-called Old Testament was God's revealed Word first. It was the dictionary and the mindset that people were using to judge what the apostles were originally teaching in the day that they were teaching.
Remember, the faithful Gentile is grafted into the Olive tree of Israel. Nowhere in God's word was the faithful Israel to be grafted into the sinful world. So the foundation holds us up, we do not hold up the foundation (Romans 11:13-24).
Remember and do not forget that whenever the apostles referred to Scripture in the apostolic writings, they were referring exclusively to the books of Genesis to Malachi, so the New Testament must be filtered and interpreted through those eyes in order to get a complete and balanced picture of the truth from the writer's point of view. (Deuteronomy 8:3; Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
So is the Bible Scripture? That question is a matter of faith. There are some people who absolutely believe as I do, that the Holy Bible is God's written Word, that it is anointed and breathed out by the Holy Spirit of God and given to over 40 writers who copied down what God wanted them to write. There are others who will refuse to believe this no matter how much evidence one was to provide. This is what most biblically observing believers who base their faith on the Scriptures believe. Our faith is not blind faith. Despite the fact that there have been countless concerted efforts and attempts throughout the centuries to actively disprove God's word, it cannot be done successfully. Over and over again God's word has been confirmed archaeologically. The things which the Bible said were there exactly where God's word said they are. God's word has repeatedly been confirmed archaeologically, mathematically, astronomically and even biochemically but despite all these repeated confirmations through science, there are those who will absolutely refuse to believe in God and they desperately want to reject His Word. The reality is that God's word has never been empirically disproved by any science known to man.
The only thing that is ever in dispute between the believing scientist, and the atheistic scientist is not the facts. The scientist who is a believer in Almighty God and His Son Jesus Christ believes and even understands the same empirical facts which the atheistic scientist possesses. They both look at the same fossils, the same bones, the same astronomical charts, and the same biochemical data. A great many of the actual facts are almost never in dispute. The great divide that occurs between scientists who believe in God and the atheistic scientists, who refuse to believe God, is in the interpretation and conclusions that each one draws from the same set of facts.
Each of us would like to believe that we are sincerely impartial, unbiased students whose only interest is arriving at the truth. Ideally that is how we would function. All of us would love to rightly be able to say that our only pursuit is the discovery of unvarnished truth, and that we vigorously examine and analyze all our evidence on its own merit. All of us would like to believe that we draw our conclusions exclusively on where the evidence leads. Unfortunately this is not the truth. The conclusions that scientists draw from their various experiments are very often colored by what they already previously believed and accepted to be fact before their experiments began. That’s why the atheistic scientist and a God-fearing scientist can in each look at the exact same set of facts and draws a completely different conclusion from their studies.
The exact same principle holds true when one considers the differences between the Whole Testament believers and the traditional Constantinian model of Christianity that most in modern-day Christendom observe. If one truly believes that the entire Bible from the book of Genesis to Revelation is God's written Word, that all of Scripture is completely relevant and applicable to the believer's life today, the student will study and draw conclusions that are colored by that belief.
If on the other hand, a student starts off their study with the belief that the Old Testament has been done away with, and therefore is not directly applicable to the believer's life today, then that student will quite naturally look at the exact same Scripture and draw a completely different conclusion based on what they read into the text because of what they already believe. It's an inconvenient truth, but it is the truth. Like it or not, our conclusions and beliefs about what Scripture actually says is often greatly colored by what we already believed to be true when our study began. What we draw out from studying the Scripture is greatly influenced by what we already believe and read into the Scriptures in the first place.
With rare exceptions, both groups believe that Yahweh, the God of Isaac, Abraham, and Jacob, is the One True God, who made heaven and earth, Who promised and later sent His Son Jesus to be the Messiah. Most believers believe that Yeshua who is the Messiah physically died on the cross for our sins, and he became the atoning sacrifice who died in our place. With rare exceptions, most believers who claim Christianity as their faith believe that Almighty God physically and bodily resurrected Jesus Christ the Messiah from the dead. Virtually every Christian believes that Jesus ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the MAJESTY, and now functions as the Eternal High Priest who intercedes on behalf of the saints. If you were to ask the majority of Christians, most of them would tell you that they believe that the Bible is the written word of God and that it is true. If you ask them, most of them would tell you that they believe the entire Bible is true. Many might even go so far as to tell you that they believe in obeying all of Scripture wherever possible. The only major divisions between those who hold to the Whole Testament theology, versus those who cling to the traditional Christianity built on the Constantinian model is that each group views, interprets, and applies, the exact same facts which they both believe to be true very differently.
In addition, the Constantinian model of traditional Christianity adds or subtracts many things into their traditions and practices which run directly contrary to what Scripture requires. They do all of this while claiming to be biblically obedient, which makes them in error or false to their own claims by definition. That is the key bone of contention.
So, while it is true that absolutely no one will be saved and counted as righteous before God by way of obeying God's Law, since we all break God's law and are guilty of sin, then is it also true that God's law is simply too difficult to keep? While that is a very popular idea, widely held in traditional Christianity, such a belief is simply not agreeable to the Scriptures. As it is written:
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12 "It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' 13 "Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' 14 "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14 NASB; cf. Deuteronomy 30:9-16).
I know what many of you out there will say. "Well, that's in the Old Testament." (Or more accurately, the 1st writings of the Whole Testament). To that observation I say you are correct, how very observant of you. At the same time I also must ask do you understand what such a truth implies? Beloved, please allow Almighty God to train you to think biblically, not traditionally.
If Almighty God did not allow His people to claim that obeying His Commands was too difficult for Them before Jesus died and paid the atonement for our sins, then how much less would the Almighty accept such an excuse after the cross?! If God did not accept the convenient excuse that obeying His Law was too difficult for us before He unleashed the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh at the fulfillment of Pentecost, then is there any conceivable way that he would accept such a claim after He empowers us with the Holy Spirit? If Almighty God did not allow his people to claim that obeying Him was too hard before the fulfillment of Ezekiel 36:25-27 was fully manifested, then how much less would He accept such an excuse after the fulfillment of that promise through Messiah and the coming of the Holy Spirit?
No beloved, if I sin by violating, transgressing or living outside of God's Laws (1 John 3:4), that is not evidence that obeying the Laws of God is too hard. No, instead, it is evidence that I am still too hard, and I am not yet malleable and pliable enough in God's hands. Beloved, if I sin by violating, transgressing or living outside of God's Laws, that is a sign of exactly what Messiah said it was. Whenever I sin and violate God's Laws, I am demonstrating in living color that in that area at least, I'm still a slave to my sin, and not truly completely set free, (John 8:31-36).
If I continue to sin and violate God's Holy Laws, Then it should stand as evidence to me that in that area of my life, God's love is still not perfected within me yet. If it was, I would have no problem agreeing with and obeying God’s Laws, and I would not even consider it to be burdensome
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3 NASB) Beloved, that's in the New Testament.
Closing Prayer: Almighty God Yahweh, Lord Jesus (Yeshua), and precious Lord Holy Spirit, blessed be Your name forevermore. Have mercy upon me, and save me, because as much as I hate it, I am a sinner.
As much as I love You, as much as I need You, and desire to please You, I still sin and come short of Your glory, on an all too frequent basis. I transgress against your good, perfect and Holy Laws, and I am therefore guilty of sin, because I miss the mark of Your highest standard.
The problem does not rest with Your Laws, because they are good and perfect (Psalm 19:7-14; Romans 7:7-16). The problem rests with me. It's not on Your end, it's on my side of the equation. I acknowledge this truth to You, because by Your grace, I believe Your Word which tells me that obeying Your Commandments is not too hard. I used to believe that it is too hard because that's what I was told, and it seemed agreeable and comfortable to me, so I did not challenge it by searching this out for myself as I should have.
The only reason that Your Laws and Commands seem difficult to me, when You say they are not is because I am weakened and enslaved by bondage and sin. I am in bondage and need to be set free from the lies and from the worthless and unprofitable things which I was taught to believe by my ancestors (Jeremiah 16:19).
I am in bondage and need to be set free from the habit of obeying the traditions of men, instead of obeying the Commands of God (Mark 7:9; Acts 5:29).
I am in bondage and need to be set free from the slavery of obeying my own sinful passions and desires (Galatians 5:19-25). All too frequently I do what I desire, instead of doing what I know Your Word tells me that You desire. All too often, I make my decisions based on how I think and feel, instead of obeying You, so that shows that I'm still in bondage to my own selfishness.
All too often I find that I settle for what I believe God will accept, instead of continually pushing myself toward greater and greater perfection as I should, (Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 18:13; Matthew 5:48; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; James 1:19-27).
As painful as it is sometimes, I thank You for Your Perfect Word. As unpleasant as it feels to my flesh, I thank You that Your Law and Word is doing exactly what it's supposed to do, (Hebrews 4:12-13). It is revealing my own heart to me. It shows me where my heart truly is when I compare it to Your Righteous Standards. When I try to obey Your Word, and I find that I can't, or when I find that I even lack the want to, then it reveals the truth to me that in each of those areas, in reality, I'm still in bondage, and not truly free. If I am not regularly confronted by Your Words and its requirements, if I don't encounter the real condition of my heart and weaknesses when I try to obey Your Words and fail, then I would become complacent, I would assume I was fine, even though in reality I would be in bondage, and I would be carried away by the deceitfulness of my own sin (Hebrews 3:13). That's why your children should obey Your Laws. Obeying your laws cannot save us, but it does show us in living color where we are still in bondage (and in some cases where we are progressing out of bondage), but we still need Your Salvation to be fully worked out and made manifest in those areas. It is also a rehearsal that prepares us to live in Your Eternal Kingdom, and under the authority of Your Kingship. Messiah buys our citizenship. No one and nothing else can do that, but obeying Your Laws and precepts gives us a rehearsal for how we will be living in Your Kingdom.
Thank You for giving me grace to respect Your training ground. Help me to more fully submit to You and cooperate with You on an ongoing basis, so that You can complete this work, and mature me into a full-grown son of God, and a productive citizen of Your Kingdom. Help me to abide in and faithfully apply Your Word so that I will be truly counted as one of Your disciples, so that I will honestly know the truth, and will be set free from every bondage that hinders me from glorifying You. Have mercy upon me, and save me through what Yeshua already did. Help me to ever more faithfully walk in the freedom and salvation that You so graciously provide, but help me never to use my freedom in such a way that I use it as an occasion to transgress Your Law (Galatians 5:13), which is sin (1 John 3:4).
Lord Yeshua, have mercy upon me, a sinner, and transform me into a son that brings exceeding joy and gladness to Your heart. Amen.